PM: US-led coalition to remain in Iraq to aid anti-ISIS operations in Syria

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani has confirmed that advisers from the US-led coalition fighting ISIS will remain at Ayn Al Asad Airbase to assist operations in neighbouring Syria.

Al Sudani said that 250 to 300 coalition personnel would continue their work at the base, helping to monitor anti-ISIS operations and coordinate activities at Syria’s Al Tanf facility, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

He added that the process of transferring responsibilities to Iraqi authorities is “proceeding smoothly and in coordination with security authorities”.

Two rounds of talks on future security co-operation with the United States have already taken place, with a third scheduled, although details were not disclosed.

The Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS was formed in 2014 after the extremist group seized large parts of Iraq and Syria. Initially a limited US-led operation, it expanded into a 77-nation coalition conducting air strikes, training, and advising Iraqi security forces. At its height, around 5,000 US and allied troops were deployed in Iraq, with French, British, and US special forces joining Iraqis in major operations.

Last year, the US spent an estimated $242 million supporting Iraqi forces. In September 2024, Baghdad and Washington agreed to gradually end coalition operations, with troops scheduled to leave Ayn Al Asad and a Baghdad base by September 2026.

Despite ISIS being territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, sleeper cells continue to launch attacks. Security experts warn that the withdrawal of US troops could create a resurgence in violence.

The coalition has carried out targeted strikes against ISIS leaders in north-west Syria. In August, ISIS finance chief Salah Numan Al Jubouri was killed in a joint operation involving Iraqi troops, the coalition, and Syrian forces.

By Aghakazim Guliyev